Mobsters stole a historical painting from a family; 54 years later the FBI brought it home

A rare painting stolen by mobsters in 1969 has been returned to its owner's son decades later thanks to the help of the FBI.

English portrait artist John Opie painted the piece in about 1784 and by the Great Depression, it belonged to New Jersey resident Earl Wood, according to the FBI's Salt Lake City field office. The 40-inch-by-50-inch painting, titled "the Schoolmistress," was a sister painting to a piece housed in London's Tate Britain art gallery.

Wood purchased the painting for $7,500 in the 1930s, the FBI said, but his time with the art was short lived. While he never reunited with the piece after it was stolen from his New Jersey home in July 1969, his son, Francis Wood, got to become its rightful owner last month.

"It was an honor playing a role in recovering a significant piece of art and culture, and reuniting a family with its stolen heritage," Special Agent Gary France said in the FBI news release. "In a world where criminal investigations often leave scars, it was a rare joy to be a part of a win-win case: a triumph for history, justice, and the Wood family."

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New Jersey lawmaker helped thieves rob painting

Authorities suspect that former New Jersey state senator Anthony Imperiale tipped the location of the painting to three men, who later testified they were working under the direction of the lawmaker, the FBI said.

The men, identified as Gerald Festa, Gerald Donnerstag and Austin Costiglione, first tried to steal a coin collection from Earl Wood's home but failed thanks to a burglar alarm, the FBI reported. Imperiale, who died in 1999, told the burglars about the piece, having been told by it's housekeeper that the piece was "priceless." On July 25, 1969, they returned to Dr. Wood’s home and stole the painting.

Festa testified that he, Donnerstag and Costiglione visited the politician's clubhouse where they were given the exact location of the painting. However, the claims against Imperiale, a polarizing figure who vocalized a crackdown on crime, were never corroborated. France said the three thieves were convicted of other mob-related crimes before their death.

Painting sold in purchase of mobster's Florida house

The piece was then passed among organized crime members for years and eventually landed in St. George, Utah, the FBI said.

The painting was included in the sale of a Florida house owned by convicted mobster Joseph Covello Sr., who has been linked to the Gambino crime family, and sold to a Utah man.

In 2020, the man died and a Utah accounting firm trying to liquidate the property sought an appraisal for the painting. The FBI discovered the piece during this process and suspected it was likely a stolen work of art and eventually returned the piece to the Wood family last month.

Wood family used smaller Opie painting as a placeholder

Francis Wood's son and Earl Wood's grandson, Tom, said the "The Schoolmistress" hung over the family dining room for decades before its sudden disappearance, according to the Associated Press. For 25 years, a smaller Opie painting served as a placeholder for the lost piece.

The painting has been cleaned and appraised but is still in good condition despite the long life it has lived, the AP reported.

"It has one or two minor blemishes, but for a painting that’s 240 years old and has been on a roundabout journey, it’s in pretty good shape," Tom Wood told the AP. "Whoever has had their hands on it, I’m thankful they took care of the painting."

The FBI has not filed any charges since the painting's recovery as all those suspected to have been involved are dead, France said.